HUGE MISTAKE!!!!!

Yesterday we had about 15 minutes of independent reading time at the end of my sophomore class.  I needed a new book and saw that "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman had been returned.  I snatched it out of the pink crate before another student could get their hands on it (I've been trying to read it all year), and was feeling pretty smug about the whole thing.  For once I won!!  My feeling of elation didn't last for long and by page 22 I had lost it completely.  In front of 15 teenagers.  As a rule teachers are not suppose to cry in front of their students.  It usually encourages them to continue the behavior that reduced you to tears in the first place and in fact it will usually get worse!  But there was no sign on the cover of the book that said: WARNING!  Do not read if 1) You cry at dog food commercials 2) Have a blond haired, blue eyed, incredibly adorable 7 year old son, or 3) Are sitting in a room filled with teenagers waiting for a reason to publicly humiliate you.  Therefore, I dove right in!  I stopped at page 22, but once the kids saw my reaction to the book I knew I had them hooked. By this morning my other classes heard about it and are begging to be the first ones to read the book when I am finished.  I will be traveling to the Half-Price Books in Chicago this weekend to see if I can get another copy or two for the classroom. All of this in only 22 pages!  It is rare when a book comes along that can grab the attention of both genders in my classes.  Not only are the kids in a frenzy to read "If I Stay," they are already begging me to buy "Where She Went," so that it is there when they need it!!  THANK YOU GAYLE FORMAN!!! Your books are turning non-readers into readers (and making my job much easier!)